


Not Tomorrow

by uumuu



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Darkening of Valinor, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-19 03:06:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5951530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uumuu/pseuds/uumuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caranthir finds his father after Fëanor flees from the Ring of Doom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> Fills the character in distress square on my Trope Bingo card.

It's Carnistir who finds him, though by the time he does he isn't really searching anymore. He's just running blindly through the forest with a lamp in his left hand and his right hand held out, as he had in Formenos, as if he could have driven the dark away. He keeps telling himself he doesn't actually hope to find his father. The first thought that crossed his mind, when he saw his father bolt from the Máhanaxar, was that he would lose him. His father was going to die. His father could not endure the loss of his own father. 

He is almost inured to the notion already. Of course they should not have delivered the news of Finwë's death like that, but they had assumed Námo would have already told their father, at least. He cannot recall why they had believed that: the Valar had not sent anybody to Formenos, and it took him and his brothers months to make the trip. 

He trudges through brambles and weeds, over slimy rocks and moss. Time and again he has to catch himself not to stumble and fall over. 

He finds his father by chance, almost trampling on him. He finds him lying face down, and freezes. He finds him because Fëanáro must have tripped (he didn't have any light). For a few moments Carnistir just stands there. Part of him wants to pretend he hasn't found his father, because his father _looks_ dead, and he could not bear to look at his corpse, not while his grandfather's death-face is still horribly vivid before his eyes (and the blood, the stench). Part of him wants to shake his father and help him up, because his father _cannot_ truly be dead. He looks around but he cannot see much beyond the reach of his lamp: the stars are veiled. He starts crying as he crouches down. 

“Dad,” he calls, and rolls his father over. Fëanáro's face is scratched and a rivulet of blood runs down the side of his head, but his eyes are open, and he breathes. Carnistir feels a relief so stark that he wants to cry twice as hard than he is already crying. He sobs, because his father's eyes are open but they don't really look at him, or at anything else. 

His relief turns so bitter he wants to throw up. 

“N- Nelyo!” he says, but it's so feeble he himself can barely hear it. So he says it again, and this time it's a shout, raw and shrill, and hopefully loud enough for his brother to hear. He prays Maitimo is nearby. Maitimo, lazy and vain as he is, has a knack for always making everything right again. Or at least he had, before Melkor. 

Carnistir never had that sort of resourcefulness, and he doesn't know what to do now. He wraps his arms around his father, tries to waken him, but Fëanáro doesn't react, so Carnistir just cradles his head in his lap and waits.

**Author's Note:**

> Máhanaxar = Ring of Doom.


End file.
